ARTICULATORY PHONETICS

Taken from: from:

A course in English Phonetics for Spanish Speakers by Diana Finch and Speakers Hctor Ortiz Lira. Gimsons Pronunciation of English English Revised by Alan Cruttenden

THE LINGUISTIC SCIENCES

PHONETICS

LINGUISTICS

PHONETICS (phonic substance)

PHONOLOGY (organization and function of the phonic substance)

GRAMMAR AND SEMANTICS

ARTICULATORY PHONETICS

ACOUSTIC PHONETICS

AUDITORY PHONETICS

ARTICULATORY PHONETICS The Speech Mechanism

VOCAL TRACT

In English and Spanish we normally use the outgoing stream of air to produce our speech sounds, we shall sounds, consider the whole speech mechanism from bottom to top following the passage of air as we exhale. The following are the elements that we must consider: consider: LUNGS LARYNX (at the top end of the trachea containing the VOCAL FOLDS) CAVITIES OR RESONATORS
PHARYNX NOSE (NASAL) CAVITY MOUTH (ORAL) CAVITY

ARTICULATORS
PALATE TONGUE TEETH LIPS

THE LUNGS:
These have the consistency of two large sponges which are made to expand to take in air (inhalation), and contract to let it out (exhalation). They are situated within the rib cage or thorax. Below the lungs, and separating them from the stomach, is a flat muscle called the DIAPHRAGM. The lungs themselves are incapable of any active movement, and expansion or contraction must be carried out by the muscles that join them to the rib cage and/or by lowering the diaphragm. The function of the lungs is that of a motor or activator that sets the passage of air into the movements of inhalation and exhalation.

THE LARYNX
A rigid structure situated at the top of the trachea and below the pharynx. The pharynx. important part of the larynx in speech is that it contains the first valve or trap that can interfere with the passage of the airairstream: stream: the VOCAL FOLDS. These are two bands of muscle lying across the centre of the larynx. larynx.

THE VOCAL FOLDS

At the front the vocal folds are fixed side by side to the inside of the thyroid cartilage; at the cartilage; back they are attached to the two arytenoid cartilages, cartilages, which thank to muscular action can bring the vocal folds together or draw them apart. apart.

For normal breathing the vocal folds are open forming a VVshape, the back ends forming the two points of the V. The space between them is called the GLOTTIS.

The vocal folds can also be brought tightly together, so that no air can pass through.

When the vocal folds come into light contact the air passing through them causes them to vibrate. The sound produced by this vibration is what we call VOICE.

Vocal folds in action: action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv4evD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv4evD GLgjQ

THE RESONATORS
The human speech mechanism has three resonators (cavities that can change the quality of an existing sound):
THE PHARYNX: which can change its shape slightly. THE NASAL CAVITY: which is constant in shape. THE ORAL CAVITY: which is extremely variable.

THE ARTICULATORS
These are all situated in or surrounding the oral cavity. They are the:
TONGUE
TIP BLADE FRONT BACK

PALATE TEETH LIPS

THE PALATE
The palate is a concave structure separating the mouth from the nasal cavity. Although the palate is not physically separated into parts, it is useful to divide it when describing speech sounds into:
ALVEOLAR RIDGE: The prominence just behind the upper teeth. HARD PALATE: the bony,immovable part that lies over the centre of the mouth SOFT PALATE or VELUM: The movable part at the back which can be raised or lowered. The tip of the velum is called the UVULA.

THE TONGUE
It is useful to think of the tongue as being divided into:
THE TIP: extreme end THE BLADE: lying immediately under the alveolar ridge. THE FRONT: lying under the hard palate. THE BACK: lying under the velum.

The blade and tip can be moved independently of the rest. The whole tongue moves backwards and forwards, and up and down. It can interfere with the air-stream by coming into light contact airwith the palate causing friction, or it can make complete contact with the palate producing a stop. The upper teeth are used in speech to interfere with or stop the air-flow with the help of the airtongue of the lower lip. The lips constitute the very mobile outer edges of the mouth, and can adopt different shapes.